Insulated Blanket?

[AHoneyman]

I’m just bustin balls. Sorry.

I can’t agree more about shielding the wind in general.

That's fine. They are done broke.

 

[JpsBBQ]

That's fine. They are done broke.

 

[AHoneyman]

I'm not sure if suppliers up here will stock pellets in the winter(I stock my winter charcoal in September).

Several of my local Sam's and Walmart stores are out and I was told they do not expect more until spring. In north Texas? What are they thinking? I guess Academy and B&B will be in my future.

 

[JpsBBQ]

There is a real shortage of both charcoal and pellets. They cannot keep up with demand.

 

[Dassman5]

There is a real shortage of both charcoal and pellets. They cannot keep up with demand.

Plus, it is heating seasons in the Northern US and Canada and a lot of pellet stoves out there...I am willing to bet that most pellet producers do not just dedicate their production to smoker pellets.

 

[JpsBBQ]

Plus, it is heating seasons in the Northern US and Canada and a lot of pellet stoves out there...I am willing to bet that most pellet producers do not just dedicate their production to smoker pellets.

Yeah, I’m not sure how that works, but the cooking pellets require substantially stricter constraints.

The real issue is COVID-19 and the closing of a substantial amount of restaurants in many locals. All things home improvement and grilling related are back ordered and the lead times are at least double the normal. As far as charcoal goes, the stuff made in South America is still easy to get because they have little or no regulation. In the US, the industry is heavily regulated and they can’t just go cut down more timber. In fact I believe none of the charcoal is made from fresh cut timber. I’m not sure about the pellet industry, but I’m sure their supply is seriously stressed as well.

 

[Bruno]

I’m a pipe fitter by trade and I recently came across these welding blankets.

Usually a welding blanket is a fiberglass mess that can make you itch and leave a bunch of fiber glass in the air, these things are like blankets.
I think it would make a great blanket to help with cold weather.

 

[JpsBBQ]

I’m a pipe fitter by trade and I recently came across these welding blankets.
View attachment 2243 Usually a welding blanket is a fiberglass mess that can make you itch and leave a bunch of fiber glass in the air, these things are like blankets.
I think it would make a great blanket to help with cold weather.

Yeah I was just gonna say that every welding blanket I’ve ever used or seen was horribly full of fibers and such. Cool find!

 

[Chris Z]

Anyone found an insulated blanket that works with the EX4? It was 34 out today and I burned through a lot of pellets during 10 hour cook. Thought might use less if was more insulated. Maybe Weber will come out with one in the future.

Sorry for dredging up an old topic but I'm curious if anyone has come up with a solution for this. I have friends with "other brand" pellet smokers that swear by their insulating covers in all kinds of weather and watching people struggle with temperature control as many of us in colder climates cook in the winter, I see a need for this type of product.

It's not going to get out of the single digits here tomorrow and if I fire up anything to cook with it will be my Genesis because I know it will get the job done in the wind and cold.

So, I guess my question is has anyone run across a company that is making something for the SmokeFire. Or perhaps even some thoughts on other smoker manufacturer's blankets that might fit. The EX4 is about the same size as many other smokers on the market so it would seem logical that something is out there that might fit.

This guy had a rather compelling recommendation for a cover after some simple testing and the grill drum is similar. Anyways, something to think about if you're not in the warmer climates.

 

[DutchieCooks]

You live in Dallas.

Canada is a whole different beast.

I used mine in late winter and early spring in the Midwest without any issue really.

You live in Canada? If you follow bbqbreak on Instagram you can join their contest for February. Bbqing everyday in Feb with everyday a price!

 

[JpsBBQ]

You live in Canada? If you follow bbqbreak on Instagram you can join their contest for February. Bbqing everyday in Feb with everyday a price!

Not me but the other member @woodsum is in Ontario. I was just pointing out the experience may be drastically different between Ontario and Dallas. Cold weather is a relative term.

I’ve used mine in cold weather without issue. I just am not convinced the temp control issues are at all weather related. I feel like they are PID software issues. They seemed to arrive after the last update and in a variety of climates

 

[AHoneyman]

An insulated blanket will not fix the problems of temp changes. A new PID code may help.

 

[Chris Z]

An insulated blanket will not fix the problems of temp changes. A new PID code may help.

I didn't mean to suggest via my post that a jacket would solve the temperature swing issues that are currently causing grief with the latest PID software release.

I instead shared this to see if anyone had heard of any product like these jackets that so many other manufacturers are producing for their similarly designed pellet smokers. The video I posted a link to offered a reasonably fair test to demonstrate how a jacket or cover can help someone cooking in cold or windy weather maintain a more even grill interior temperature while using less fuel and yielding better, more even results.

I'd much rather have a nice Weber logo on a thermal jacket that's designed for the grill than an off brand that was a close fit with a little modification.

 

[MrPhilGrillTX]

Seems to me the additional insulation would slow the temperature swings, and help reduce pellet use. I would think even in hot weather better heat retention would be a plus. At a cost of looking weird. (Smokers shouldn't be padded.)

 

[AHoneyman]

The PID should be programmed to expect the thermal efficiency of the native model. Any changes to the insulating nature of the unit would potentially conflict with that programming.